Fairy Tale gone wrong
by Checkmate 24601
Summary: A collection of Orihime-centric stories involving her and another character. Genres will range from friendship to fantasy to angst and love. First one up is Hitsugaya x Orihime...
1. Sleeping Beauty

**Fairy Tale Gone Wrong**

_**Sleeping Beauty**_

He found himself walking down a familiar flight of stairs again, ignoring the usual glances of curiosity, confusion and - occasionally - sympathy that he garnered when he descended into one of the chilly crypts or 'laboratories' of the Twelfth Division Research Bureau.

He gave a tip of the head at Akon's silent nod of greeting, as he was scanned and almost automatically allowed into the more confidential and labyrinthine section of the building. The temperature dropped, although he could not tell whether it was from the descent into the earth or of his own doing.

_But then again, ever since that day, everyone in the Seireitei appeared to have the cheer and casual happiness sucked out of them. _His hand clenched from the memory as his heart _hah! His heart _gave an aching sting.

He had done what he had to do. _Duty called. _He had done what he had done to protect her _in the only way that he knows. He had done this because he could not bear the thought of her being executed._

Seeing fluorescent green light in front of him, he knew he had arrived. Stepping through the doorway – there was no door, but only a fool would think there was no danger or trap installed in the only entry and exit into _AG 015 –, _he felt the particles within the barrier sluggishly _like the jello _she _had introduced to him in the Human World_, almost reluctantly, give way, rearranging themselves to allow him passage.

He entered the 'Anti-God Chamber' as it was now known.

He is no fool. He knows Kurosutchi openly disapproves of his weekly visits to this particularly room. _Well, that's only to be expected as he had deprived the man of, using the latter's words, "one of the most fascinating specimens". _

He couldn't care less. The memory of the Twelfth Division's captain glaring at him for not having his way brought a grim smile to his young visage. _He didn't care for that one's particular opinions, nor of many other individuals' really if he was being frank._

The hollow, pathetic attempt at a smile shattered when he brought his gaze to the only object within the room. He stops when he realise that he is not alone.

The other person was kneeling, head bent over the black table, shoulders hunched and a hand resting on ice.

He takes in the orange hair and the familiar kitchen knife-shaped zanpakutou. The other's back stiffened as he recognised his presence. _He had always sucked at detecting reiatsu… though never hers._

Amber eyes furiously met cold, blank teal ones.

"Toushirou."

"…Kurosaki."

Hitsugaya Toushirou honestly wished he could say that his lack of correcting the substitute shinigami's form of addressing him was due to their familiarity and camaraderie between each other. _Far from it, at least on the second point. _Kurosaki Ichigo had not forgiven him or the rest of Soul Society for what they've done to his _nakama_.

A nakama who had risked her life to protect his by leaving to a hellish alternative plane of existence. A nakama who had been not only beautiful, but so full of life, laughter, and Imagination. A nakama whom the Substitute had been genuinely protective and fond of though whether his feelings extended beyond those of friendship had never been known. _And now, no one will ever know. _

_Inoue Orihime has become a permanent 'what if' possibility to Kurosaki Ichigo._

And Hitsugaya knew that she had loved the Substitute truly, making his own actions another crime to add to his growing list of sins and offences of killing Hollows, betraying friends, and being a soldier Captain to Soul Society.

The white-haired captain approached the obsidian table in the centre of the room.

No, Hitsugaya Toushirou did not correct Kurosaki's less-than-respectful address of his person because Hitsugaya was ashamed of himself, and had no right to ask for respect. _And the Reason for his shame and guilt was lying in a kido-induced sleep on the black marble counter before him._

Inoue Orihime is wearing a white yukata as she lies beneath Hitsugaya's shield of transparent ice, unconscious, perhaps _though Toushirou would like to think otherwise _unaware of the people and souls who came by to visit and stand over her. _Unaware of two lonely boys watching over her, silently desperate and yearning for her forgiveness. One for failing to keep his promise of protecting her, the other for placing duty over friendship. _

Despite her healing of the Shinigami during the Winter War and her partial rejection of the Hogyouku within Aizen, which was completed by Kurosaki and Urahara Kisuke, Orihime had been harshly been sentenced to death by the newer, stricter Central 46. It had only been the plea bargaining on her behalf by Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Zaraki and members of the Eleventh Squad, Unohana-taichou, and surprisingly Kuchiki Byakuya and the Captain Commander who were able to soften the punishment. Instead of execution, she'll be placed in Eternal Sleep and preserved under the Twelfth Division through Hitsugaya's freezing of both Orihime's human body and attached soul.

Kurosaki had spat and cursed at all of them, shouting out as he was confined during the process of rendering Inoue unconscious, "Who are the real traitors now?" Both the Quincy and Yasutora had attempted all they could to attack and break free of their restraints. It was only through Yamamoto Genryuusai's issue of amnesty and pardon to the three of them that the remainders of the Golden Quartet were able to return to the World of the Living.

Kurosaki would have torn down Soul Society and shaken the Royal Realm to personally demand to see the Soul King on behalf of Inoue had the latter not gently asked him, promised him to swear to her to never do that. _I could not bear it if you would be killed because of me, Kurosaki-kun. I … care for you too much to … for that… please don't die, Kurosaki-kun. Promise me that you will live a full, happy life… even if it means you must forget me… _

And to Hitsugaya himself, Orihime had never, not even in her final moments, expressed an ounce of hatred or blame, merely exhausted acceptance of her sentence. _ I trust you Toushirou-kun. So please don't be upset anymore. I still think of you as my D.L.F. _

The abbreviation stands for 'Dear Little Friend'.

Clenching his jaw, Hitsugaya forced himself to _see. _Orihime looked like she was simply sleeping, with her unusual sunset hair spilling like a halo around her head. But something, something which Hitsugaya could not pin down – was it the lack of a smile, the seeming detachedness from the lack of expression on her face? – hinted of the unnatural, the artificial in this situation. _That something wasn't right._

He remembers her parting words. _Do you remember the tale of Sleeping Beauty which I showed you, Toushirou-kun? Think of it this way. I will be the girl _– she did not use the word 'princess', the small captain remembered, - _who is placed under a hundred year sleep…waiting for her prince to wake up her with a kiss…true love._

It was too painful.

And Hitsugaya was sorry that he had to be the one to impose the crystalline ice walls to surround the afterwards slumbering human girl, who had been nothing but welcoming, friendly and comforting during his reconnaissance mission in Karakura, who was – is, he corrects himself – his first true human friend.

Sometimes, he might bring news, awkwardly telling her about events in the Seireitei. Generally he is silent during his visits. He forces himself with each visit to _remember _that he is guilty, that he does not deserve much happiness for what he has done or achieved since the Winter War. And Hitsugaya knows that she will disagree with him, wearing that cute angry pout on her lips which had about the harm degree of a hamster, if she knows his inner thoughts and his inner demons.

Later he will regain the surface. Face the light, and take on the mantle of the icy emotionless Tenth Squad Captain.

But for now, he'll stay for awhile. To Remind. To Remember.

_But sincerely he hopes, sincerely hopes, though the voice of Hyourinmaru disagrees with him, that She will never forgive him._

**A/N **Oh goodness, I didn't expect it to be so angsty but given the circumstances had they happened, I'm sure the atmosphere between Toushirou and Ichigo would have been very strained.

My image of Orihime was inspired by kara-lija's image of Orihime in .Bells For Her. Here is the link. .com/gallery/?offset=192#/do4gme

She is an amazing illustrator, and not just for Bleach pics. Doesn't Orihime look so serene and yet slightly in pain or detached at the same time?

D.L.F is taken from the movie _Prince Caspian_. Oh Narnia Chronicles!

Don't leave without reviewing or Hyourinmaru would freeze you into an ice sculpture. XD

As always, all things Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.


	2. Heidi

**Heidi**

It was a beautiful day. The sun is shining. The sky is a clear robin's egg blue. Everything seem to point towards a peaceful morn-

"What kind of crap is this?! The newspapers are saying there's a _ghost _in Karakura Town?!" a brash feminine voice split the air, rending the calm within their underground bunker/hideout.

"Hiyori! It's ten in the morning. Could you please save your ranting until later?" a male disgruntled voice called from his place on the sofa. In answer, there was a familiar series of smacking sounds, which sounded exceptionally painful, if the unintelligible yelps of a streak of swear words were any indication.

Five minutes later, a short girl with spiky blonde pigtails wearing a red track suit dropped her sandal to the ground before casually slipping it back on her foot. _Baka hage Shinji! _She glared at her right arm, which was encased in a sling, and winced at the sudden tightness around her torso, currently heavily banded from where Ichimaru Gin's sword had pierced her like a kebab _through one side, out the other_.

Had she been fully recovered, she wouldn't have stopped giving Shinji a beating until he begged for mercy _like the good ol' days. _Except, nowadays, in the aftermath of the Winter War _which didn't even take place in Winter for God's sake! _the Vizards no longer had to live in fear from Aizen or the Seireitei.

While there is still no love lost between the half Shinigami, half Hollows and the rest of Soul Society, the Soutaichou had acknowledged the exiled hybrids for their contribution to the success of the war against Aizen and in congratulations _please note the sarcasm_, reinstated Shinji, Kensei and Rose as captains in the void posts left by the traitors Aizen, Gin and Kaname Tousen.

_Congratulations, my butt! The Old Man is probably doing this just to fill the shortage of captains and shinigami the War left him with. _

Huffing and crossing her arms _as best as she could with one of them in an annoying sling_, Hiyori glared into the distance of their training facility.

Hirako Shinji bit back his normal retort as he took in the sulking mini Vizard. An uncharacteristic sigh escaped him as he leaned back against the sofa. He was fully aware of her sentiments regarding his return to Soul Society, to his old position as Captain of the Fifth Division.

Hiyori may not show it, and given her spitfire, brash attitude, you probably won't even guess it, but she can be easily hurt _emotionally_. Even after a century, her feelings of hurt and betrayal from Soul Society still stung. Nothing could budge or tempt her to return back to that place of nightmares, painful memories, and accusations of being called "freak", "Hollow" and "monster". And she is still reeling from Shinji's decision to accept moving back into Soul Society.

In his own way, Shinji is internally questioning his decision. He knew the rapport between him and the shinigamis in general would prove tense in the coming months, perhaps years, to come. But he couldn't deny that he yearned for a life of more action, more combat, which the Human World _with all its jazz, technological and amazing distractions, not to mention beautiful women – one particular image of a well-endowed human healer with the sunset in her hair and stardust in her eyes comes to mind – _simply couldn't provide.

So yes, he was going back _for better or worse_, and he's going to miss Hiyori _as corny and unbelievable it may sound, given how much torture and abuse he suffered from her sandals and loud voice. _But yes, he's gonna miss the squirt. Soul Society wouldn't be the same without all the Vizards back together, but Shinji has to respect the fact that some wounds remain deep and his comrades _what an odd bunch they all make up together! _still stood apart in their attitudes to a former home with their former captains and peers who had once shunned them in fear because of Aizen's meddling in Hollowfication.

"Hiyori…" he began.

"So who do you think this 'ghost' is?" her voice cut across his attempt at explanation. _They both had never been comfortable with this kind of I-forgive-you-because-I-understand-even-though-you're-a-complete-idiot interaction_.

"Che, probably just a rogue spirit or some kid playing dress up," Kensei's voice joined in gruffly as he sipped at coffee. _He was definitely a morning person. _

"How can you be sure, Kensei?" chimed in Mashiro, whose intent to annoy him was clear as mud. Lisa's, Love's and Hachi's voices entered the fray of morning dialogue as breakfast was served and eventually cleared away.

And as Hachi suggested a final get-together between all the Vizards to discover the runaway spirit or simply to give it a soul burial – _Oi Hachi, Halloween's over! _– across town, a much more different mood and scene was occurring inside an apartment.

"_It's okay. Everything will be alright." _Gray-amethyst eyes leaking tears took in the rearranged furniture in her living room. _"It's okay. Everything will be alright. I will be alright." _Orihime whispered this mantra frantically as she heaved and pushed her furniture back into their normal positions.

Gazing into the mirror, it was an amazing transformation to see the young girl's face draw up into a near-genuine smile, a feat accomplished through sheer mental strength alone. _She refuses to be a burden to her nakama, who have saved her from Hueco Mundo. The skeletons and ghosts of her experiences, she will lay them to rest herself. _

Later that evening, an unusual group of individuals exited from a garage though no one except the black crows were witnesses to their departure for their final excursion as a group.

"So where do we begin?" Hiyori grumbled, rubbing her casted arm in an effort to keep warm. _It's only now that Winter is actually coming. _

"I certainly don't sense any stray spirits floating around," observed Rose casually as he tilted his nose into the air and sniffed.

Suddenly, Lisa muttered audibly, "Why is _she _out so late?"

"Who?" demanded Mashiro as she jumped around in impatience.

"Use your senses, _baka_!" Kensei rumbled as he too sent his spirit senses out for scrutiny. His brows wrinkle from confusion and a mild curiosity. "What _is_ she doing out so late?"

Hirako flicked back his schoolboy cap, testing the air. His eyes widened in surprise. _What was Orihime-chan doing wandering about at this time of night?_

"She's not heading in any particular direction," noted Hachi with a small frown as worry clouded his eyes. _He considered her family because of the resemblance of their powers, though Hachi is certain she has much more potential than him and still has a while to grow yet. _

"Che," Hiyori sniffed. _That chick with that rack and glossy hair? The one who Shinji called his 'first love'? not that Hiyori was jealous or anything…_

"Let's go then."

"Huh?"

Hiyori looks up as Shinji takes to the air effortlessly. Narrowing her eyes, she follows suit. Hiyori feels rather than hear the rest of the Vizards speeding behind her. Eyes roaming, she finally locks onto her prey. _There!_

_And that chick was barefoot, wandering in her nightgown?! What the hell…_

"Orihime-chan?" Shinji approaches the girl, who has gone still from his voice. He watches her turn around _and they all know something's wrong._

Her eyes, normally so alert and twinkling with some hidden mirth, were glazed like a mirror or the slick surface of a black pool of water.

She wasn't seeing them. _She was looking through them._

"Orihime-chan?" Shinji tried again. _Now was _really_ not the time for him to note that underneath her white nightgown, she wasn't wearing a bra. Thank god, she's wearing panties…No, must not go there. No thinking things like that, Shinji!_

"Hirako-kun?" the soft call came. But her voice too was different than its normal timbre. Right now, it's slightly muted _as though she's not really seeing Shinji or the rest of the Vizards. _There was a confused quality to it, as well as a slight lethargic tinge.

"Oi Onna, what are you doing?" Kensei asked, his gruffness belied by the red tinge of embarrassment on his cheeks as he took in her sparse state of dress.

The human girl's posture changes. It stiffens slightly.

"The door. I'm trying to find the door. Help me, Hirako-kun. Please let me go, Ulquiorra-kun."

It was the last statement which drew everyone's attention _cutting their breaths to the quick. _

Shinji's widen in recognition before he starts forward, trying not to show his panic as Orihime turns to continue walking down the sidewalk towards the river. _Stop her before she hurts herself!_

"Orihime-chan." He reaches out and puts a steady, firm grip on her shoulder, preventing her from going forward. Gently turning the girl around to face him, he is shocked by her eyes. Their proximity enhances the glazed quality within them, and Hirako Shinji doesn't like _not one bit._

"Orihime-chan," he gives her a gentle shake. "You need to wake up, Orihime-chan!" His last violent shake draws a shuddering exhale from the girl as her hands come up in reflex to defend herself.

"…Hi…rako-kun?"

The voice is clearer now. Her eyes _thank God! _are now getting back to normal _the fog is clearing away from them_.

"Heya Orihime-chan." He smiles down at her.

Confusion fills her eyes as the human girl takes in her surroundings.

"But what are you doing here, Hirako-kun? Why is everyone here?" Orihime catches sight of the other Vizards. "Why am I here–"

She gasps in realization as tears silently leak from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks, falling _silently, silently _to the pavement in quiet drops _like rain_.

Orihime pales in understanding before she buries her face _in embarrassment, in shame _in her hands, as she tries to hide from the blonde man in front of her.

"I was sleepwalking again, wasn't I?" Orihime chokes out, while still refusing to look at Shinji. She doesn't need confirmation. She doesn't need to look at the surprised looks on the other Vizards' faces.

Curling in on herself _hunching her shoulders _she cries _silently, silently, silently. _

She has known about her symptom since returning from Hueco Mundo. Night after night of searching _within her dreams _through the empty corridors of Las Noches for a way home _back to the Human World, to her nakama, to Tatsuki-chan, to Sora-nii-chan's photo, to school, to red bean paste, her kitchen, her bedroom with her butter yellow walls and flower-patterned curtains_. She was always alone in her dreams _forever walking in those empty corridors of blinding white, trying door after door in the never-ending maze and passages filled with a thousand doors._

Her dreams lacked the nightmarish quality that would have turned them into an Alice-in-Wonderland escapade. _No one was there to harm her. There was no Aizen, no Ulquiorra or Grimmjow, no Loly or Menoly, no Ichimaru-san. Just her and a thousand doors, behind which one of them would lead her home…_

No, her dreams are not nightmares. But she was lost. _Still lost and not found._

She feels more like Heidi, the mountain girl Heidi, who yearns for home.

But the fundamental difference between her and that little girl is: Orihime is still searching for home _even after arriving back Home_. She is still trying to find the goodnight-sunset-mountains, and the free wind rustling through the grass, disturbing the red dragonflies hiding among the green blades and shoots.

_Home but not home. _

_She is back in the human world, and at the same time, she isn't. _

There is a surreal quality to her daily life now, an observation that this calm world of high school, homework and preparation for exams is so far removed _so peaceful, so sheltered, so…artificial _from the tragedy and the suffering which she endured in a different hellish plane of existence.

_How long do I need to keep searching?_

_When shall I be found?_

_When shall I finally be 'at home'?_

It wasn't until this point that Orihime registers herself being hugged, a hand carding through her hair in soothing motions.

"It's alright now, Orihime-chan. It's okay. Just let it out. Just let it out. I promise – we promise not to tell."

Hirako-kun's voice caresses her from his chest.

Feeling the empathy and sympathy in his reiatsu, _in all their reiatsus, _Orihime finally sobs out her grief and tears. She is unaware, after she is emotionally spent and falls into an exhausted slumber, that she is wrapped in Shinji's long coat _to protect her from the cold and for propriety's sake (the slightly lecherous Vizard did not even snatch a peek) _and brought back to the Vizards' base.

She is unaware of being placed gently on the couch and covered with a blanket, courtesy of Hachi.

She is unaware of Hiyori's rather atypical gentle gaze on her _a look which spoke of understanding, understanding of the hurt and the horror which lingers long after the threat is disposed of. _

She is unaware of the whole group settling down around the couch, near the breakfast table, leaning against the upturned crates and boxes, taking turns to watch over her. And they continue to guard her against her sleepwalking and dreams as the sky lightens, and the moon gives way to the Sun, announcing the start of another day _a brand new day of opportunities and new beginnings._

She is family.

She shares similar powers to them _and the Vizards are nothing if not family and sticking up for each other, despite their rather peculiar individual traits. _

So they will watch over her and wait. They will continue to monitor her at night in the coming days to make sure she does not continue to sleepwalk, and possibly hurt herself.

They will make her realise that she is safe now.

Having gone through what Orihime is going through now, they will help her adjust _back to this Different World, the Time from Before_.

They will make sure she lives and laughs again.

"_Tadaima."_

"_Okaeri, Orihime-chan."_

**A/N **I haven't forgotten about _Fairy Tale Gone Wrong_; I've just been busy. (I actually should be working on an assignment which is due soon, but oh well…the things I do for you, dear readers. :3 )

Again, just thought I would explore one aspect of the plot hole which Kubo didn't expand upon – Orihime's recovery from her days in Hueco Mundo. It's rather unrealistic that Kubo only uses Orihime for comic relief when she is so much more than that _and can be so much more than that. _(But then again, he's being unrealistic in his current manga chapters – how much more disgustingly overpowered will Ichigo be? He's now a Quincy as well, able to use Quincy abilities?!)

Forgive my ramblings, but I just realised that one of the possible reasons, fans like Rukia more than Orihime is based on the assumption that Rukia monopolizes moments of emotional suffering. The anime producers are slightly guilty in this too since they so clearly favour Ichiruki, and change significant parts of the manga when Orihime is shown to be actually quite mature and emotionally vulnerable _for rather legitimate reasons! _

It would be wonderful if people could just see that Orihime has gone through the same amount, if not more, suffering than Rukia. In her position, with no parents and no brother anymore, and with limited financial grants from a distant aunt, Orihime has actually toughed it out quite well, without ending up embittered or socially closed off, like Rukia was at the beginning of the manga. _There is one scene when she considers friendship and love as troublesome and burdensome – which is quite telling about Rukia's mental and emotional strength (or lack thereof). _

Anyways, I've got more ideas for future chapters. Just please bear with me if they take some time to get uploaded.

Many thanks!

Ja ne,

Checkmate

PS. I'm sure all of you already know, but Tadaima and Okaeri are the Japanese formulaic greetings for "I'm home" and "Welcome back". :3 Just a happy ending (much deserved) for our dear Weaving Princess.


	3. The Little Mermaid

**A/N **The following three chapters will be a linked trilogy. Because this will be in Ichigo's point of view, this chapter is T-rated for the occasional (frequent?) swear words.

**The Little Mermaid **

It was too damn quiet.

A tanned hand scratched irritably at a head of orange hair. Kurosaki Ichigo huffed out a sigh or annoyance. The Substitute Shinigami's normally laidback broad shoulders were tense _like a rubber band nearing its snapping point_.

It was too _fucking quiet._

And Ichigo knew why. Molten amber eyes gazed miserably to the left of the classroom, alighting on a slim figure with sunshine hair. Fists clenched helplessly.

_They took her voice. They took away Inoue's voice._

And Ichigo never realised until now how much his ear is attuned to the soothing dulcet tones of his female friend. Sure, he was oftentimes embarrassed at Orihime's exuberant greetings in the morning – _How can anyone be so chipper at 8am in the morning? – _and was many times more, confounded by Orihime's reasoning and opinions.

But now… but now, he would give anything to hear her cheerful "Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" Because _really_, what was so flustering about a dear friend's enthusiastic greetings and antics? How many guys could count on their forever-present, forever-resilient support of a female friend, who can understand the nuances of their male minds without using words?

It is very true that you don't know what you have until it's lost.

_Or as the old Japanese saying goes, "Fallen blossoms do not return to branches; broken mirrors do not again reflect". _

And Orihime's voice is _– was? – _indisputably precious.

Ichigo knows, that while he is not the rustiest blade in the rack, he can be slow on the uptake, slow to see many things. But there is no denying that he can, now, see the multiple ripple effects of what losing his _nakama's _voice means.

It is not until the aftermath of Aizen's defeat, after Orihime's ordeal of being tried in court for treason, _the guilty verdict was mitigated by allowing her to live but taking away the young healer's voice on the assumption that without her voice, her powers cannot be activated_, that Ichigo finally sees how important Orihime's voice was integral to preserving their group's cohesion.

_It was always Orihime who broke up the arguments Ichigo had with Ishida. _

Tension between the Substitute Shinigami and the Quincy have ratcheted up to new, unprecedented levels. Fiery temperaments of both young men aside, Ichigo has his suspicions that Ishida, to a small degree, holds him personally responsible for Orihime's loss of voice. On some days, Ichigo wonders if Ishida nurses a secret crush for their beautiful auburn-haired friend.

_It was mainly Orihime who spoke and trained with Sado Yasutora._

By nature, Chad was not a talkative person, and before meeting Ichigo, Orihime and Ishida, his towering height and imposing physique intimidated others from approaching and making friends with him. He's more of a listener, but it was always Orihime who sought to draw a few words out from him, until it became almost natural for the two to have quiet conversations – about many things: Ichigo, Soul Society, music (Sado enjoys the guitar very much; Orihime prefers the flute), stuffed toys and fluffy animals.

Nowadays, the giant boy seems slightly off-kilter and more prone to be tense _and even slightly lonely. _Having been a single child all his life, Sado enjoys Orihime's female presence. _It was almost like having a surrogate sister. They both want to be useful to Ichigo; they want to be strong. They were both aware that their skills were still not on par with the friend they vow to support or Ishida. _

Tatsuki had all but forgiven Ichigo. The silent treatment and cold shoulder, plus several venomous glares, had been the response he got after bringing Orihime back from Hueco Mundo and Soul Society.

Ichigo had failed not only Orihime, but one of his longest childhood friends.

In terms of guilt though, the young man was not alone. _Getaboshi_, or Urahara-san, had for the first time in Ichigo's memory seem exhausted and _remorseful_. Normally, Urahara-san relied on Orihime's optimism and random observations to pull him through sticky moments of annoyance with Ichigo.

A most awkward moment came when the ex-shinigami captain thoughtlessly posed a question to Orihime, forgetting her voiceless state. There was a split moment when Urahara looked sickened and awkward while Yoruichi-san was murderously glaring at him. Orihime tided over that moment naturally by giving a keener nod that she normally would have, smiling all the while.

Classes weren't the same. Even Ochi-sensei feels something is off, complaining her students will be docked points on their report cards for lack of participation. Naturally, the void was filled in the past by Orihime's ideas.

At first people didn't believe the excuse put forward about Orihime losing her voice. Her classmates simply thought she was up to something quirky with her hand gestures and sign language. When people finally realised that it was no joke, there was general disbelief. Then, the nasties kicked in. Envious girls stepped up snide remarks. Perverted pubescent boys thought they had a chance at forcing her to kisses or more. Despite Ichigo and Tatsuki's help, it was mainly Orihime who saved herself, putting her black belt karate to good use.

Ichigo was left, openmouthed, when he arrived on the scene with Ishida. Half a dozen male students were either unconscious or groaning on the ground at Orihime's feet. She just cheerily waved at them in greeting, stepping around the human obstacles without a backward glance.

However, the most painful moments are when Orihime forgets that she no longer has a voice. Ichigo remembers one such discussion in the _shoten_. Inspired by a thought, Orihime tugged on his sleeve, lips moving fast, babbling silently. It's only when Ichigo gently stills her hands and uncomfortably tells her that he doesn't know what she's saying that she appeared paralysed, smile frozen in place, grief leaking through for a split second before she tried to cover the silence by sheepishly rubbing her head and grabbing a pen and paper. But all Ichigo remembers was that one instant of utter sadness in her eyes.

_It wasn't enough._

_He wanted her back. He wanted all of Orihime back. _

And Ichigo knows, somewhere in the back of his mind, perhaps he is caring more than he should _but he doesn't want to explore that avenue or 'why'_. He only notes that it is not enough.

The Silence is killing him. The Silence is suffocating.

Learning sign language and to lip-read Inoue are not enough.

He wanted to hear her nonsensical humming and improvised songs. He wants to see her murmuring about what kind of ingredients to mix together for lunch or what thread to use for the Handicraft Club's project.

Besides, Inoue could still use her powers even when Voiceless. Her powers are connected to her Will, not her Voice.

And Ichigo was determined to fight Soul Society to retrieve his _nakama's _Voice. The scene in his imaginations and his dreams were always of Inoue smiling and testing out her voice again by saying his name, "Kurosaki-kun. Kurosaki-kun. Kurosaki-kun." _A beautiful endless mantra…_

_This _was most certainly not what he fathomed.

He went to Soul Society, demanding for Inoue's voice to be released. He went on to say that separating her voice from the rest of Her doesn't make a jot a difference.

He had not expected Soul Society to react to his logic by turning up at the Urahara candy store – Byakuya, Kenpachi, Toushirou and Soi Fon – to arrest Inoue Orihime and to place her in detention until notice was provided for the contrary by Central 46 and the First Division.

He was trying to help. _Why was this happening? _

_He had set out to help, not become an additional Nuisance and burden on his best friend. _

"What kind of bullshit is this? Have you all lost your minds?! Inoue _rejected _the Hougyouku. She's on Our side!"

Any further protest on his part was cut down by Byakuya's firm tone, stating they will use force if necessary. Just as Ichigo was about to draw Zangetsu, a small hand restrained his arm.

"Inoue?"

Said healer was looking at the ground, her bangs shielding her eyes from view. When she lifted them, she gave Ichigo a small shake of the head. _Please don't fight them._

"But Inoue –"

Then, Ichigo became speechless as Orihime's hand gently reached up… and lightly brushed the pads of her fingertips against his forehead, prompting the scowl on his forehead to ease and smooth away.

Her lips moved.

Then, releasing a shuddering, silent breath, she stepped away from him, towards the waiting Shinigami captains. Raising both her hands out, she watched passively as Soi Fon snapped a pair of handcuffs around her delicate wrists.

As she stepped through the portal leading to the Seireitei, Ichigo would forever remember the trace of tears in her reiatsu as she walked resolutely forward _to an uncertain future, possibly containing Death_, and her last words to him.

"_I like Kurosaki-kun's scowl, but not when it is like this."_

It was when the light from the portals disappeared that Ichigo collapsed to the floor, threw back his head, and _howled. _

**A/N **Again, this is my speculation of what could happen in the interim between the Hueco Mundo arc and the Xcution arc. The following two chapters will naturally diverge from the timeline. Just to let you know beforehand, the coming chapters are from Byakuya's and Urahara's perspectives.

It was rather interesting making Ichigo feel like he is a burden and a nuisance, even though he was trying to help – the same sentiment which Orihime too often, and unjustly, experienced.

Once you take a closer look, our Weaving Princess does share similarities with the little mermaid from Hans Christen Andersen's fairy tales: a prince who is oblivious to his true savior, red hair, etc. (By the way, I'm referring to the original version of the story where there is actually no happy ending. Read it if you don't know that version – a true romantic tragedy.)

Should you like, please read my other fanfic _Fairy Tale _which goes more into their commonalities.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Checkmate

Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.


	4. The Emperor and the Nightingale

**The Emperor and the Nightingale **

_The sea is calm,_

_The sea is gray._

_It washes everything away._

_Slip into the sea,_

_Cool and calm and kind._

_Then drift off to sleep,_

_Let the Past unwind._

_Leave the hurt behind._

The waning sickle-shaped moon has chased away the sun, heralding the oncoming of Night with its dark veil and millions upon millions of stars, _seen or unseen, _caught in its net, streaking across the spectrum of the sky.

But unlike other nights, the cold disk has taken on another colour instead of its typical silver tinge. Tonight, it is a mixed palette of blood red and burnished copper or egg yolk. Grotesque or a premonition, _an omen_, take your pick. Unheeding of bewildered astrologers' and scientists' discussions of mathematical formulae and calculations of probabilities, its beams alight upon an imposing manor, deathly silent as all its inhabitants have gone to bed.

_Or maybe not._

A shade of black detaches from the shadows and glides soundlessly along.

_Kagome Kagome_

_The bird in the cage_

_When, oh when will it come out_

_In the night of dawn_

_The crane and turtle slipped_

_Who is it in front _

_Who stands behind you?_

It is time.

Using the stealth and grace for which he is renowned for, Kuchiki Byakuya continues down the passage of the manor, skirting the resident apartments of his extended relatives near the northern wall. Approaching his _koi_ pond, the man in question appears briefly in moonlight as he crosses the bridge noiselessly, bone-white _kenseikan _starkly contrasting with his ebony hair and the noble profile of his features.

He plunges into the _sakura _orchard, going deeper and deeper into the forest, deeper than anyone well acquainted with his family manor or his gardens thought capable of venturing. His steps, familiar and confident from having tread this hidden path every night for the past month, easily pick their way past roots and loose scree. Finally, arriving at a sakura tree, which to the untrained eye would appear the same as every other sakura tree before it, the aristocrat pauses, bringing his hand up to the bark.

He waits.

A moment later, something in the air changes. Then, a ripple in the scene before him produces, and a new space, a new dimension stretches out _pushing against the trees in its path of horizontal expansion _before his cobalt eyes.

A pretty maisonette takes shape, green tiles from the roof curve down, up and out in the traditional style while an unassuming sliding door beckons entrance. Stepping onto the cobbled path, Byakuya pushes past an unseen force, which relents for him, _the master who crafted it. _Only a fool would assume there is no barrier to keep unwanted visitors out _or wanted individuals in, _as the sole individual living within the terraced house is aware.

She is in the same position as the last time he came to visit her, half sitting, half stretched out in the window seat that looked out onto his well-tended cherry blossoms – _the freedom which she does not have presented torturously before her, seeing the occasional gardener, but is unseen in turn – _with her feet tucked beneath her.

_A beautiful bird peeks out between the bars of her cage, sighing with longing._

"Good evening Byakuya-san." Dusky pools of wishes, fringed by long lashes, turn to gaze at him, a tired but welcoming smile on her lips. _He wonders if one day, he'll enter and not find her smile waiting for him._

An acknowledging nod.

"Good evening … Orihime."

Byakuya takes in the mortal young woman. _She has grown pale, _he notes. Lack of exposure to the sun nearly killed all colour in her cheeks. But even this current state was better than the one he found her in when he obtained permission from Yamamoto-Soutaichou to retrieve her from the Hornets' Nest, the underground prison for high-profile criminals and misfits _and the unwanted_ of Soul Society.

_Kurosaki Ichigo…you are an arrogant Fool._

The boy may have the raw talent to be a good Shinigami Substitute, with physical strength and reiatsu on par with the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guards, but in terms of mental reasoning and political nuances, he is worse and more unassuming than a spoilt baby.

_Subtlety, thy name is _not _Kurosaki Ichigo._

Byakuya is more than aware that the boy meant well. _He generally means well, despite his idiocy and troublemaking…but…_

And the 'but', whether spoken or silent, always perches at the end of a sentence in any commentary relating to the Substitute.

He does not weigh the detriment of his impulsive words and emotions. He is unaware that by declaring to a meeting of Captains that Inoue Orihime, voiceless, supposedly innocuous, remains as powerful as she was before the separation between her Self and her voice, he has condemned her to charges of dishonesty and incarceration in the Second Division.

Byakuya _knows _that Orihime herself had not protested against her mistreatment _past or present_, mutely accepting the hurt and the untrue allegations like a second layer of pain which she is all too accustomed to.

If only Kurosaki had held his tongue…

If only he had consulted Urahara Kisuke or Shihoin Yoruichi before he dashed recklessly through the _Senkaimon _to the Seireitei…

If only he had waited for another catastrophe, in which Inoue Orihime could showcase her healing powers and loyalty to the Shinigami realm, before pressing his case to release his _nakama's _voice…

If only…

If only…

But it matters not now. _None of that matters anymore._

Through his rashness, Orihime had been thrown into the Hornets' Nest, kept in an isolated cell, but close enough to other prisoners, many of which were of the most violent kind, insane, abusive and threatening.

Her bodily safety was not compromised, but Unohana-taichou deplored the potential mental and emotional deterioration her environment may have on the growing girl.

And Byakuya fully agreed with her when he saw the state that Inoue Orihime was in.

_Twinkle, twinkle little star_

_How I wonder what you are!_

_Up above the world so high_

_Like a diamond in the sky._

_When the blazing Sun is gone,_

_When there's nothing he shines upon_

_Then you show your little light_

_Twinkle, twinkle all the night._

_Then the traveller in the dark_

_Thanks you for your little spark._

Her hopeless despair was so clearly manifested in her glazed eyes, lethargic-like trance as she paced the corners of her cell, _even smaller than the room Aizen gave her_, like a caged animal, clawing for escape. Byakuya does not mean this in the metaphorical sense.

The blood on her fingernails, the blood on the bars of her prison cell and the enclosing four walls were very real, and even now, a vivid memory. When bored, she would use her flowing blood to write down math multiplication tables, quadratic equations and other formulae before progressing to draw fantastical images on the walls _a crane being burned in a bonfire, a chappy rabbit, arrows, a cat, a hat, a kitchen knife, a six-petal flower_.

Byakuya recalls Senbonzakura's horror and morbid fascination as the materialized form of the zanpakutou stood beside his master, looking at the humming, oblivious human girl.

In a twisted sense of sadism or self-deprecating humour, Orihime kept singing. Nursery rhymes, songs from the world of the living tumbled from her lips. The guards and the other prisoners became afraid of her Voice.

"_Make her stop, please! Make her stop singing! Make her stop!"_

_Figures clutched at their heads, willing a desperate siren voice from infecting them with her despair and her longing for freedom. _

That was the moment when Kuchiki Byakuya took his petition directly to the Captain Commander, asking for Orihime's relocation to an equally secure, but different, environment.

"And where would you put her?" the First Division leader asked, curious.

And that was how the Kuchiki clan head, through the manipulation of reiatsu and an abandoned property in his gardens, had brought Orihime _here_.

_Once upon a time, there was an Emperor…_

She is beautiful, _whether despairing or lucid, whether silent or singing_. Byakuya is aware that many other men and women found Inoue Orihime pleasing to the eyes, though not in the traditional sense of the ideal Japanese woman. With her titian hair, her gray-amethyst eyes and well-endowed curves, Orihime is not the typical Japanese beauty.

_She is something more. _She is something more exotic, more dangerous. 

_There was talk in court of a bird with the most enchanting voice. When the Emperor first laid eyes on the nightingale, he is puzzled…_

…_until the bird parted its beak, and sang._

Byakuya knew very little about Orihime when she came with Kurosaki to rescue Rukia. He only knew her by sight, and referred to her as the 'former ryoka onna'. It wasn't until the month she came to the Seireitei to train with Rukia before the Winter War with Aizen that the nobleman learned more about the human female.

He learned that _Orihime _could hold her own against him in eating spicy food and playing _Go_.

She can be slightly eccentric and extremely imaginative.

_How caring she can be_ – the way she disinfected and wrapped his hand wound when he protested at calling upon her healing fairies to heal "a shallow cut". _"It's more of a gash rather than a cut, Byakuya-san," _she admonished without reproach as she concentrated on wrapping the bandages around his palm.

_How determined and vulnerable she can be – _when she collapsed _just like Hisana _from exhaustion in training.

_The Emperor gave the nightingale a beautiful golden cage and jewels to wear. But it seemed the little bird was unhappy despite the care and attention. _

_The monarch decided to allow the nightingale to go stretch its wings. A long red ribbon connected to the nightingale's leg as he fluttered in the open._

Like the Emperor in the fairytale, Byakuya had merely exchanged Orihime's prison from a tortured cell to a gilded cage. _This different dimension which he has kept her in may have the amenities she needs, but a cage is still a cage, regardless of its gold or mildew-rusty bars. _

He knows she feels trapped.

_With only the night sky and the moon as witnesses, he cloaks her reiatsu before taking her by the hand to go for a walk within the sakura forest, to give her a little fresh air. But he cannot do this every time for it's too dangerous. _

_There's nothing more he can do._

He knows she is unhappy.

_Or is there?_

As a reputable captain of the Sixth Division, he shouldn't even be contemplating this. _What if the law is not always right? _Kurosaki Ichigo told him to fight against the law when Rukia's execution was thwarted. Byakuya hadn't then. _Maybe he should start now…_

Because every time he sees Orihime, there is always one burning question. _Does she deserve this?_

As a savior of Soul Society, her accomplishment – the rejection of the Hougyouku from existence – is no less than the Substitute's, who defeated and killed Aizen.

_The Emperor knew earlier than his advisers and the rest of his courtiers that one day, the nightingale would leave him. _

_A wild songstress was never meant to be kept or tamed. _

_When a bejeweled mechanical bird came as a gift, an artificial replica of the original nightingale with a less satisfying voice, the Emperor reluctantly bid farewell to his feathered friend._

Byakuya would crush this very cage that he had built to release her.

It is the little he can do. It is what he owes her for rescuing Rukia back when he knew not where his Pride was.

It is what Soul Society, ungrateful and scornful as it currently is, owes her.

It is the night of the new moon, when no light would betray him, that he carefully transfers Orihime into Shihoin's secure hands. Byakuya instructs Urahara Kisuke to unleash his shikai upon the noble lord to make the attack look genuine.

Byakuya's last vision before he lost consciousness to the blackness subsuming him, having stood in close striking range and not used Senbonzakura to defend himself, was Orihime's tearful, worried eyes and her mouthing of his name.

"_Byakuya-san."_

**A/N **The opening stanza is taken from Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, _Love Never Dies_. It is sung by Meg Giry in the closing scene when she was preparing to commit suicide.

The 'Kagome, Kagome' stanza is a song to the accompanying Japanese game of the same name. Basically, the _oni _(a troll) or the person who's 'it' is surrounded by a circle of players. After the chanting of the song, s/he needs to guess who is behind him/her.

Please take a look at the Wiki page for Kagome Kagome. The symbolisms associated with the song are very interesting. Depending on what interpretation you use, the song can be understood as reference to birth or death by decapitation or the oncoming of misfortune.

To hear an eerie version of 'Twinkle twinkle little star', go to Youtube and listen to the Death Note version relating to BB. It's rather creepy in a way that nursery rhymes shouldn't be. (Although technically many nursery rhymes and fairy tales came from bloody backgrounds. For example, 'Ring a round a rosie/A pocketful of posies' is a historical reference to the Plague which killed off so many in London.)

As for why Byakuya should be the Emperor of the fairy tale (apart from the fact that he behaves like one already XD), his Bankai has a 'final scene' called "Hakuteikan" which literally means "white emperor sword".

Whew, that's a lot to explain. :D


	5. Rumpelstiltskin

**Rumpelstiltskin**

There is a fine line between love and hate.

At least, that's how the general saying goes. Urahara Kisuke disagrees. Or at least, he thinks there is an even more delicate distinction.

There is a very fine line between being childish and child-like.

Take himself for instance as a case in point.

Kisuke knows that he is childish _and fully acknowledges and plays up to that_. It's not just the _shoten _where he sells candies, bits and bobs, and other manner of sugary confections, but the ubiquitous fan and the white-green pinstripe hat, his not-so-funny jokes, and teasing, sing-songing cliffhangers.

It's a mask _a façade. _

He is not an old shinigami, not by any stretch in comparison with the Soutaichou, but Kisuke can feel the weariness of centuries settle into his bones _from his mistakes and miscalculations. _Living long past your expiration date causes one to lose sight of things _certain morals, certain values, become cynical and callous. _And Urahara Kisuke has been far too wrong about so many things.

_The Hougyouku. _

He is a _tensai, _a genius, in his personal opinion. To create a seemingly simple bauble which can break down the barriers between the physical realm and intangible desires _like a jewel-genie or a different version of a magic lamp _is not a feat achieved by an ordinary person, considering the long hours he laboured over equations, back-breaking test subjects and fine-tuning experiments. But he never expected it to go so _wrong_.

The Hollowfication of his fellow Shinigami captains and colleagues, self-imposed exile in the Human World, losing the Hougyouku to Aizen Sousuke were outcomes which he certainly had not calculated nor taken into account beforehand.

Then, his previously dull existence is abruptly jolted by the entrance of Kurosaki Ichigo and his vow to rescue Kuchiki Rukia.

The blonde-haired, whiskery storeowner could honestly have continued on with his previous brash behaviour even with the insertion of the Substitute Shinigami into his changed lifestyle, were it not for the water ripple-subtle arrival of a different person.

_Inoue Orihime._

And these two words are enough to cause something, a cross between a choked sob and a hysterical laughter, to bubble up at the back of his throat.

"…_lack of trust and belief in her abilities by someone who she regards as a Father figure…"_

In a post-Hueco Mundo, post-Winter War trial, Orihime had allowed Kurosutchi Mayuri to delve into her mind using one of his many contraptions, to prove her innocence. Said sadistic scientist, the only other person who proves a real challenge to Kisuke himself, had dug out this hidden revelation from the teenage girl's soul. It was a revelation which drew Kisuke up short and cut his breath to the quick.

"_a Father figure…Father…"_

And how many times has Kisuke let down Orihime?

"_Inoue-san, I want you to stay out of the battle when we fight Aizen. … You don't have Tsubaki anymore, and he's your one means of defence. … The Fourth Division can heal the wounded much faster and more efficiently than you can. … Once you can no longer defend yourself, you only become a burden on your nakama."_

These words sickened and shamed him to the core. _It was a lie. _She wasn't weak. On the contrary, _she _was the linchpin who could fulfill Aizen's desire to awaken the Hougyouku to its full capacity and achieve his God status and self-proclaimed mandate.

_Child-like in her antics and thinking, but so consciously aware of the feelings and reasoning of those she protects. Seemingly simple. Supposedly weak. _Nothing could be further from the Truth. _The One who heals and watches the backs of her comrades suffers just as much as the Others who fight on the frontlines. _

_Internally in turmoil, but gracefully accepting a damning verdict which she does not deserve, either from him or Soul Society. _Kurosaki Ichigo's mistake in telling the Seireitei about Orihime's still potent abilities despite her voiceless state had been the closest Kisuke came to backhanding his pupil. 

He thought he could keep her safe. He justified, in his mind, that her safety would kill two birds with one stone – keep the Hougyouku from activating, and simultaneously, Kisuke could protect the one pure thing in his life.

After all, he considers Orihime his Conscience _the one who forgives him, too easily, too kindly; the one who reminds him to consider, to rethink his strategy, his priorities_.

Instead, he accomplishes the reverse – by sending her, wrapped up in her new strength from her training in the Seireitei with Kuchiki Rukia, like a present and delivered on a platter to Aizen.

"_Your Majesty, my daughter can spin straw into gold!"_

He is no different from the foolish miller in that strange fairy tale who sends his daughter to a greedy monarch to accomplish a humanely impossible task.

He is more like that foolish old man and less the clever and gifted dwarf of Rumpelstiltskin.

The truth is, when Kisuke brought Sado and Orihime to the _shoten_, it wasn't the first time that he met Orihime.

"_Fair maiden, if you give me your necklace, I shall spin all this room's straw into gold by morning."_

The first time Urahara Kisuke met Inoue Orihime was when she was a gap-toothed four year old.

Her little kindergarten boater-hat had fallen into his front yard of the _shoten, _picked up and dangled teasingly out of her tiny four year old hands by the playful breeze. She had crashed into the back of his knees as he was taking a stroll from his frustrating (and seemingly-going-nowhere) progress on the reiatsu-limiting _gigai_. Kisuke nearly attacked her out of ingrained paranoia and fear of being discovered by Shinigami sent after him and the Vizards from the Seireitei.

"_Gomen…" _Two wide, wide innocent silver eyes peaked at him from titian fringes. Slim fingers played with each other as fear of possible _violent? _repercussions showed in her doll-like face.

Kisuke had barely smiled and uttered a "Don't worry" before another person bursted in on the scene. A young man, who couldn't possibly be more than fifteen, ran huffing and puffing into the yard.

"Orihime!"

_Orihime? Weaving Princess? _

After the young man's apology and quick exit with his little sister in his arms _the little tyke waving a cheerful "bye-bye" over her sibling's shoulders_, Kisuke had been intrigued.

The blue-green sheet metal in his hand, which was initially meant to go in the scrap metal junkyard, had thrummed insistently in his hands. A hidden lock of titian hair, produced from his billowing green sleeves, proved time and time again to provoke a reaction in that metal.

So in his spare time, when he was not working on his gigai prototypes or brainstorming where to hide the Hougyouku, he was toying with that lapis lazuli metal. Recalling the young girl's face, he made two flower hairclips.

"_Good sir, I have nothing left to give you for payment."_

"_Then, promise me that you will give me your first-born child when you become Queen."_

The second time they met was at a funeral.

_Inoue Sora's funeral._

Three days earlier, Kisuke had given the six-petal hibiscus hairpins to Inoue Sora, who had dropped by the Urahara candy store to buy a birthday gift for his little sister. Kisuke did not know what powers the hairpins held. He only knew they reacted strongly to the presence of the little girl, now twelve years old. _He had not meant to be the harbinger of Death and bad news. _

But looking at his track record, it seems the ex-shinigami captain did a lot of things he did not mean to do.

_Kuchiki Rukia's near-execution is another example._

At least, it was not Orihime's soul which Aizen had plunged his hand into.

"_You shouldn't stay out in the rain. You might a cold."_

_The crouching man's green umbrella sheltered a small girl, who had been crying into her knees as she sat before her brother's newly dug grave after a coldly-brief ceremony. It was not the smartest trick, but it was the only one which Kisuke could think of then in the moment. From his hat, he produced Yoruichi-san in her cat form. _

_An older, and perhaps more superstitious, child would have glared at his show of comfort, maybe alarmed that he was mocking her sorrow with a black cat. Orihime was not like other children. She had blinked tearfully at Yoruichi-san before she scooped up the feline and buried her tears into black fur._

_For that, she called him "kind magician". _

_As Kisuke carried a sleeping Orihime, curled up in his arms and still holding Yoruichi-san, his somber mood reflected the grey weather beating down on the umbrella._

_For the coming six months, he would see the little girl, deprived of all cheer and blaming herself for her beloved sibling's death._

_He hopes she never finds out that he was just as responsible for her adored older brother's death._

He was anything but a kind magician.

So when Kuchiki Byakuya outlined his jailbreak plan to Kisuke and Yoruichi, he had been all astonished before being especially grateful.

It wasn't that he didn't want to save Orihime out of prison himself. But he and Yoruichi's hands were tied. They didn't know where she was kept. They suspected the Tower of Penitence, but breaking into the archives undetected has yielded no such result.

Orihime was being kept elsewhere.

After learning the young healer was incarcerated in the Hornets' Nest _Kisuke never thought Soul Society would go that far down such a punitive sentence_, they learned shortly afterwards that she had been transferred to a different secret location. _Soi Fon could not reveal more information, not because she didn't want to (at least for "Yoruichi-sama"), but because even _she _did not know where the new hiding place was. _

Fanning himself from the Spanish heat, Kisuke continued down the boulevard. Turning onto a quieter street, further inland from the bullring but not far enough to stop hearing the strains of guitar music or flamenco dancing in the streets, he counted the row of windows on his right.

_The attitude of this country's people suits her personality. _

Inoue Orihime had been on the run from the Seireitei for five years. And in the interim five years, she had gone through triple the number of persona changes. A few months after hiding in the outback of 'The Land Down Under', she went to rainy London to complete her medical training as a doctor. From there, she travelled to Africa to put her studies to good use.

_What was she the last time Kisuke arrived to warn her to flee?_

_Ah yes._

_The supposed long-lost daughter of an Italian mafia ringleader. _Orihime had worked with Interpol to bring down that drug ring from the inside before she was forced to flee. That was also the first time Urahara Kisuke had the pleasure of setting flames to large caches of hidden cocaine and other addictive substances. _Sofia Florelli had supposedly died when her car, chased by vengeful members of the Italian mafia (and unseen ghostly pursuers as well) crashed, rolled over twice and burst into flames on a bridge. _

What is Orihime's pseudonym this time?

_An art teacher in flower arrangement, crocheting and sewing in Spain…_

_Ah ha! Number 27._

Ringing the doorbell, Kisuke waited.

A little girl with brown curls and an even smaller dark-eyed boy peered up at him through the gap in the door.

"Is Señorita Schiffer here?" he asked kindly, tipping his hat in a comical 'hello'.

_The language elixir appears to be working._

The little girl continued to scrutinize him, her brows scrunched together in suspicion, for a few seconds longer before she asked, "What are you?"

A game.

A challenge.

A test.

_Ah Orihime, you have found clever, little, unsuspecting protectors. 'What' not 'who', eh?_

"An astrologer."

"The Milky Way is cruel. It separates and divides."

"That's why I look only to the Lodestar, the One which guides me home."

Satisfied, the little girl's face relaxed, changing entirely as she beamed a smile up at him, before opening the door wide and ushering him in, while directing in rapid fire Spanish the little boy to scamper up the stairs.

Following the dark whirl, Kisuke smiles at the warm earthy tones of the walls and the assortment of spools of thread and pencil-sketched dress designs on paper. Seeing an open door, he treads lightly in through the threshold.

The back of a familiar female outline greets his eyes.

_Her hair is not blonde this time. _It had been a source of fascination for Kisuke to see Orihime in all her various disguises. Once she had cropped her hair short, dyed it black and straightened it. It was blonde in Paris. The only time her hair had been its natural shade and voluminous curls was in Italy. Now, it was a rich mahogany brown. _Acceptable, more natural than blonde. _

"Señorita Schiffer?"

A familiar smile greets him.

"Is it time, Urahara-san?"

"Yes."

Urahara Kisuke wishes he was a better man. He wishes for many things. Perhaps one of the more simple things he wishes he can say is "I love you". _He hadn't been able to say it to Yoruichi, despite her devotion in following him from Soul Society. _There is a reason the black cat disappears for periods of times from him.

He wishes he could say the same to Orihime, who is more than ever like a daughter _a daughter who has grown up too quickly and relies sparingly on his protection_.

Instead of three meaning words of love, he says a damning three-letter word instead.

"_Run."_

**A/N **That's it folks. This chapter marks the end of the three-chapter trilogy. The following chapters will simply be contortions of fairy tales around the relationships between Orihime and another Bleach character.

I've always been curious about the origins of Orihime's hairpins, whether Sora knew about their powers or did someone give the hairpins to Sora to pass on to Orihime, knowing they will well used.

In my wild speculations and imaginations, if we were to go with the second idea, that silent presence could very likely be Urahara since he seems to carry so many secrets about him. Now that Kubo has revealed that Ichigo's mother was a Quincy, I wonder if Urahara knew about that fact too? Apparently, in an interview, Kubo said that Orihime's powers would be given a name in this Quincy Arc. [I hope she has links to the Royal Realm. :) How awesome would it be if she were the reincarnation or a descendant of the original Weaving Princess – God-like powers within a human! Just goes to show that one can be a human and still be powerful … ahem, cough cough, glares with Evil Eye at a ridiculously overpowered Strawberry.]

But then again…that's just my Imagination merrily spinning away. XD

Please leave some thoughts or constructive feedback behind. Always look forward to your reviews!

Checkmate

(Suggestions are welcomed, not just in this story but all my other ongoing ones so don't be shy :)


	6. Snow White

**Snow White**

The halls of the Fourth Division were dark, quiet, save for the beeping of heart-rate monitoring devices. Its main healers were retired for the night, let alone the rank and file nurses.

A deeper patch of shadow shifted from the general black mass. It shaped out to a slim human-like form.

Assassin-quiet footsteps walked down the hallway, undetected, unnoticed, the best of her trade. Outside a middle-sized ward in a more reserved isolated part of the Healing Division, the figure came to a standstill.

Leaning forward, cat-like eyes narrowed as she peered through the window first to detect for any traps, _none_, second, at the immobile patient on the hospital bed. She had been let off the respirator this morning, a sign of improvement. It was difficult to say whether such news was heartening or more tidings of dread.

Boldly pushing open the door, which swung forward with hardly a squeak or a creak, Soi Fon strode in.

Just to double check, she leaned forward and placed a finger under the nose of the titian-hair sleeper. No breathing.

Good, she's still unconscious. She won't feel pain when Soi Fon does what she does best - assassination.

But, unfortunately, the captain of the Secret Task force felt she owes Inoue Orihime ... an explanation for why she needs to kill the human girl.

Frankly the Second Division leader had no wish to kill the pretty human but letting her live would only lead to more suffering, not just for the human but the many, many people who so closely associate or became associated with her. Anyone with an iota of brain cells would know that Soi Fon fell under the second category.

_This is for her own good. _ Soi Fon does not know whether she's referring to herself or the Weaver Human.

Inoue Orihime lost consciousness after she split the Hougyouku from Aizen Sousuke and subsequently rejected the orb from existence. The injury she sustained from Aizen and the heavy drain of her reiatsu in that endeavour caused her body to go into self-defence mode - a coma.

"I might not have liked you. In fact, at one point, I undoubtedly despised you," Soi Fon addressed the silent young woman as she recalled Yamamoto Soutaichou's announcement that Inoue Orihime was a traitor, allegedly choosing to leave with the Arrancar on her own free will. The betrayal Soi Fon unwillingly felt... followed by burning anger at the girl. She supported the Captain Commander's decision not to retrieve the girl from Hueco Mundo.

And all this time, the valiant healer was harassed, pressured and tortured physically, mentally and emotionally.

And that amazing unleashing of light, reiatsu and heat like in the nucleus of the Sun or the birth of a new star, _or a dying star reaching its pinnacle_ when the Hougyouku was ripped away from Aizen, finally giving Kurosaki Ichigo the foothold needed to defeat the God aspiror with his Getsuga Tenshou.

"But that's not to say that I don't respect you.

Dying in our sleep is a luxury that shinigami soldiers rarely have." Soi Fon hoped the girl heard her implied compliment. "Consider this my gift ... to you."

Taking a syringe with Kurosutchi Mayuri's latest poison - "Instant death is assured," the mad face leered at her - Soi Fon pushed the needle into the mouth of one of the hanging tubes attached to the heart rate monitor - and froze.

A shaft of pale moonlight entered the parted curtains and fell on a previously unilluminated corner of the room.

A taller figure advanced into the light.

"Soi Fon."

She hissed in displeasure. "Kuchiki."

The nobleman narrowed his eyes in calculation how fast could he tackle the other captain or use Senbonzakura to slice apart the needle and supressed fury as he took in the syringe with the toxin within.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"...Saving her."

"Is that your poor excuse to pardon an act of murder?" The question was more a statement than a question, and less a statement than a condemnation.

"The new Central 46 are planning to execute her once she wakes. At the very least, drain her powers and to subject her to questioning. You know how harsh the interrogations are!

Remember what Central 46 did to Hitsugaya Toushirou and his friend Kusaka!

She will break!"

Soi Fon was panting from her tirade. Kuchiki Byakuya was neither deterred nor impressed.

"You underestimate her determination and her withstanding of pain. Orihime has survived three months living under Aizen and came out triumphant. Do not forget that she rendered him mortal for the Substitute to finish off! She was the one to heal us all during that final surge of the battle!

Even if those things are to happen, you have no right to act on your own initiative _your own sense of justice_ and kill her. Has Orihime no right to have the chance to defend herself?

We are shinigami. We are not rats who come in the middle of the night to murder our allies when they are defenseless in their beds!"

Soi Fon bristled, taking offence at the Sixth's leader's insinuation of her foul play and underhanded move. She readied her shikai while Kuchiki Byakuya unsheathed Senbonzakura silently.

"And that shall be enough, Soi Fon taichou, Kuchiki taichou."

Both parties tensed at the third intruding party.

"Unohana taichou."

Byakuya lowered his katana but did not sheathe it.

The Fourth Division's head healer sharply glanced at both their zanpakutou disapprovingly.

"Sheathe both your zanpakutou. I will not tolerate any fighting in my wards and even less so with an ill patient in the same room!"

For the first time, the temperate shinigami doctor was not smiling.

"How long were you here?" Soi Fon muttered as she undid her shikai. The Kuchiki clan head did likewise.

"Long enough to know what is going on...

I always know who is going in and out of Inoue-san's room."

Soi Fon's brow furrowed in confusion. She slanted a glance at Byakuya before giving Unohana a meaningful look.

"What makes you think Kuchiki taichou left this room?" Unohana smiled briefly, genuinely.

Said captain refused to make eye contact with either female captains. Only his respect for Unohana restrained him from affixing her with his infamous Kuchiki glare not that she would be affected.

"Have you lost your mind?! Do you honestly think a relationship between you two can exist?"

_Now_ the Kuchiki glare found a recipient.

Dark cobalt burned.

"If you talk, I will reveal tonight's events."

_Your part in tonight's events._ was the unspoken implication.

A stalemate. A deadlock. Mutually assured destruction.

It was not a defeat. Not really, just a parting and withdrawal from both sides.

"The both of you should not be so quick to judge." Unohana intervened.

"Yes, I believe she is strong.

Yes, Inoue Orihime-san will face the trials of difficulty.

But we need to have faith in her that she will successfully pull through. Trust not only her but also those who have placed their unwavering trust in her.

She will be fine." Unohana concluded with a confident smile.

It was on that note which all three captains departed with hope, with peace.

And the little ward became tranquil again.

… And the fingers of Orihime gave a small twitch.

A/N Part of Soi Fon's speech was taken from Kill Bill 1 when Beatrice was planning to kill the comatose Bride. I do not own Bleach or Kill Bill.

Just a replacement of the poison apple, hehehe.


	7. King Midas

**King Midas**

He is a simple man at heart. A rather Romantic one as well.

Hence, it ruffles his sensibilities when they label him all manner of names.

_Murderer._

_Traitor._

_Monster._

They _Soul Society and his former fellow Shinigamis_ were incapable of understanding, too simple-minded. _How could they envision a new world order, the mandate of being a God?_

They were not _Him. _

_He was the one who dared to challenge the rotting status quo…and so nearly succeeded. So close, he had tasted that power. _

But who would have thought…that so many unexpected developments would occur?

_Kurosaki Ichigo's unexpected evolution._

_Gin…Gin's betrayal_

_And of course…Orihime, sweet, precious Inoue Orihime._

But Aizen Sousuke is getting ahead of himself.

No one ever fathomed his romantic notion that he viewed himself as an artisan, _a craftsman if you will, _shapingthe people he came into contact with, welding them to the way he wants them, for his purposes_._

After all, these raw materials were lying there for free, available, _in waiting for a higher Force, a superior Being to guide them. _

He enjoyed moulding people, _cutting, chipping, chiseling_ them like a jeweller to suit his desires and goals.

He found gold in Hinamori Momo.

_Pure gold._

She was a sweet little thing, like a pet, a lost puppy constantly begging for attention, approval, affection. _Unquestioning. Obedient. _If he asked something of her, she would move heaven and earth to make sure he receives it _sometimes exceeding his expectations. _Every leader requires such a follower, at least one…at least in the beginning.

He made her dependent on him _entirely. _

As he told Hitsugaya Toushirou, admiration is the furthest thing from understanding. It was a kindness, a blessing that Aizen had cut her down _twice. _Both times, Little Hinamori-_kun _was _beautifully _pierced by a sword. She cannot live without him. It was parasitic relationship _though who is the parasite remains an unsolved mystery. _

_She _had placed _him _on such a pedestal _so high _that she never fathomed, never guessed than he would tear her down. That was the problem with pure gold. Its advantage is being so responsive, so easy to weld. _One can achieve numerous intricate details and minutiae with pure gold. _Aizen considered it a feature of Gold to be able to override previous bonds of friendship and cut down a childhood friend, based on the persuasion of his opinion _oh how Hinamori had valued his good opinion. _

Pure gold is very reliable. That is the reason it ranks first in the league of metals. This idolisation of gold is present in all legends, competitions, fairy tales and myths.

Take the Greek Argonauts, led by their leader Jason, to hunt for the Golden Fleece.

The peasant boy Jack climbed up a beanstalk. The first object he stole from the giant in the clouds was a hen which could lay golden eggs.

The origins of the Trojan War – the Goddess of Discord Eris threw a golden apple to be given "to the fairest", which Paris ultimately gave to the goddess Aphrodite and led him to the _golden, _fair headed Helen of Sparta, who later went down in history as Helen of Troy.

The emperors of China were the sole individuals to wear golden dragon finery and robes.

Norse mythology credits golden apples as the source of immortality, divine food which maintains the gods' eternal youth.

But pure gold becomes … dull, boring after a while. 

Hence, Hinamori's easy defeat. Pure gold is _so _easy to cut.

While Gin was Aizen's right-hand man, he was more mercurial than silver. Or rather it was the mercurial qualities within the silver which drew Aizen to the _genius child. _Yes, the _tensai, _the boy who beat Shiba Kaien's record at the Shinigami Academy by graduating within a year. That silver-haired boy with the perpetual smile, _ubiquitous but less or rather never sincere, _who so casually, expertly killed the original third seat of the Fifth Division without a twitch, blink or hesitation had piqued his interest right from the start.

His sadistic nature matched Aizen's willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish his final act – to become God. Silver is an extremely good conductor. Silver became Aizen's means to kill without killing, without staining his hands with unnecessary red, using another's sword to kill. _Gin may have withheld his bankai from Aizen's knowledge, but he could not escape even in death, the reality that Aizen is responsible for Gin's shikai. _Shinsou. The extending blade which pierces, _one kill, one hit. _

Gin may have won briefly when he betrayed Aizen in that final moment, revealing his true motives. Maintaining for more than a century his allegiance _and simultaneously his hate _for the man whom he calls 'Captain' wins Aizen's respect. _Such dedication which they both share_ although Gin may not appreciate such a similarity. The foolish boy is dead now. Aizen had personally sent him to Hell.

It is laughable _then as it is now _that Gin could have thought to spit upon his God and expect to come out alive, _to win. _One would have to invert the proverb "Lost the battle but won the war" to suit Gin. He may have wrestled a small moment of surprise advantage from Aizen, but ultimately he lost _lost his life without taking revenge on the man who allowed the rape of his childhood friend and love, Matsumoto Rangiku, lost and died for a meaningless life and regarded as a traitor by Soul Society even after death. _

Oh it is laughable _how the Mighty have fallen! _

Hmm…what was that you asked?

Oh. Kaname Tousen?

No, _your guess is incorrect _he is not bronze or copper.

Then, which one is he? Can you not guess?

Very well. Tousen is heliotrope, or better known as bloodstone.

It is rather ironic that the man who chose "the path to the least bloodshed" is awarded the bloodstone in remembrance.

The bloodstone…black with specks of red or blood.

Tousen was loyal to the point of blindness _you may decide whether the pun was intended or not. _

Although when taken to excess, his loyalty becomes an irritant _acting beyond orders gradually morphs into acting without orders_. Although that makes Tousen easier to control as well _as seen in the case of cutting off Grimmjow's arm._

Tousen based his actions on _Justice_. It is an ideology which Aizen never identified with _a concept he didn't argue against, but never once supported or identified with. _Justice is fickle, a belief open to too many interpretations. Beliefs get beaten down. Beliefs exist in so many different forms because they are too subjective. Aizen never claimed to support Justice.

As he told Ukitake, he is merely ascending to the Throne of Heaven, which had sat vacant because no one dared to reach for it. Justice is best left to those incompetent fools _like the Central 46, who had been so easily killed. _Aizen can still remember the blood drenching the tables and high administrative seats _the thrilling rush at seeing the literal rivers of blood_.

They were a _farce, those judges who claim to know better _when they knew nothing at all. Authoritarian, institutionalised nepotism and patronage. A bloated bureaucracy better done away with instead of draining resources and manpower.

In the end, there are simply two individuals whom Aizen could not quite pin down.

Kurosaki Ichigo. _That strange boy, who had no idea about his past. _It is impossible to deny Aizen's own interest given the inherent complexity which made up the boy. Born from a Shinigami father and a Quincy mother, while gaining Hollow powers from the Hougyouku.

The Substitute Shinigami was – is – fascinating to contemplate. _He is the ideal raw materials, the Diamond in the rough _but in flesh. Aizen did not have enough time to whittle and carve out something from all that metal alloy despite his monitoring of the boy's progress during his various battles with Shinigami captains and Espada alike.

Such a headstrong, impulsive, hot-headed young man with so much_ potential. Aizen could have made much of him _although Urahara Kisuke and Hirako Shinji were more determinative influences _unfortunately, annoyingly. _

The Hougyouku unleashed a darkness within the boy _like an entrapped spider within amber _which would have been a truly _delicious_ sight to see when unchecked in all its fury and power.

It was a shock to discover the boy's evolution to a point which enabled him to beat Aizen. Yes, the former ruler and Lord of Hueco Mundo and Las Noches sits bound to his prison beneath the First Division pondering this intriguing development. Granted, the Substitute may have beated him _but Aizen has dragged him under as well with him. _Kurosaki Ichigo will lose his Shinigami powers.

That in itself is satisfying _not enough, but sufficient to tide over…for now. _

Nevertheless, interesting and obsessive one can get about Kurosaki Ichigo, there was a certain necessity to observe and form the boy. Because of the varieties of compounds within him, not observing him would have been strategically suicidal. But Aizen's _last_ interest had not been the former _ryoka _boy. No, his attention was captivated by a someone almost the complete opposite of the Substitute.

_Inoue Orihime._

It was a pity he only found out about her so late. It was a choice, and a choice undertaken with pleasure, that Aizen focused his attention on the human girl. At the time of Kuchiki Rukia's execution and subsequent rescue, Aizen had barely noticed the healer. _It is really easy for that to occur given Kurosaki Ichigo's boisterous presence._

She is unassuming. In a crowd, one can easily overlook her, dismiss her as unimportant and weak.

_Those premises are false. _

It is difficult to take in initially that the power to trespass into the realm of God _to reject whole-scale events _has been placed in those delicate hands and fragile human shell. But her restoration of Grimmjow's arm in very little time is indicative of the power she wields.

But you are impatient. What stone is she?

He originally thought she is like crystal. She takes in the joys and sorrows of her _nakama _to produce her own joys and sorrows _how a crystal takes in sunlight to create a rainbow, a spectrum of colours and possibilities. _Clear as crystal. Orihime is clear, not in the sense of delineated rights and wrongs _like Tousen or Yamamoto Genryusai_, but in her rather child-like purity and lack of the human fallacy to judge.

This might be due to her humility in her powers _always presuming others to be stronger than her. _Hence, she does not suffer from the crippling misjudgements of Grimmjow and to an extent Ulquiorra, in underestimating her opponents.

Aizen had mistakenly thought she could be controlled like Hinamori. _That was his first mistake with regards to her. _

Ichigo is an active fighter _aiming for only one moment of victory. _Orihime is not. She is a fighter, but passive-aggressive as opposed to explicit power. Like flames, Ichigo can be doused and extinguished, but she is not. She is like embers _more water than fire. _

In terms of raw power and reiatsu, she cannot compare to Ichigo. But her other qualities more than make up for such a minor lack.

An astute mind which notices nuances and can manipulate subtleties; a long-term perspective; and the ability to _pretend_ were the qualities which saved her _which led Aizen to underestimate her. _

Aizen thought he broke her when he used Ulquiorra to bring her back to Las Noches. He did not expect her to come up with a counterplot to reject the Hougyouku from resistance _when he showed it to her_.

Rejection – the process which burned his body to agony when she tried to reject the Hougyouku within his body. It was rejection which tore the Hougyouku from him, rendering him fallible to Ichigo's Mugen Getsuga Tenshou.

That phenomenon of Rejection made her something infinitely more precious. No, Inoue Orihime is not a diamond.

She is the dream of every alchemist – the Philosopher's Stone, the object which can change the most basest of metal into gold.

_Restoring Grimmjow's arm._

_Healing the shinigami en masse in a final surge between both sides in the Winter War. _

_The key to motivating the Substitute to grasp and control more power – a Kingmaker. _

Perhaps Aizen is being too whimsical in his descriptions.

Inoue Orihime is the human personified form of the Hougyouku.

Her final fusion with the Hougyouku to protect the splintering dimensions between Heaven, Hell, and Earth which Ichigo's power broke in his fight against Aizen is a brilliant testament to that theory. And when the battle was over, when she lay dying in the arms of Kuchiki Byakuya, the Hougyouku _chose _to save her.

The Hougyouku _chose _to restore her life, at the cost of its own. _And Aizen remains furious at this point because it means the Hougyouku never fully recognised him as Master then. _

Urahara Kisuke was its Maker, its Creator.

Aizen called himself its Master.

But ultimately the Hougyouku chose Inoue Orihime as its Mistress, or in its own words "its Choice" _to protect and sacrifice for. _

Aizen's defeat was at the hands of a human girl _humiliating, unacceptable. _A worthy opponent.

If Aizen is God, then Orihime is the Anti-God _the only One with the means to stop him. _

They better guard him well because if there is even one loophole for escape, Aizen Sousuke will take it. And when he does…

Inoue Orihime, _beware. _

_I am waiting. _

_I will come for you._

**A/N **For those of you who don't know, King Midas is a fairy tale about a king who, in his greed, strikes a bargain with a fairy to be able to turn everything into gold. When he turns his daughter into gold, his remorse and repentance prompts the fairy to lift the curse/'gift'.

This chapter isn't really AiHime, but if you choose to interpret it that way, go ahead. I have nothing against the pairing, but I do find it unrealistic in the sense that Aizen does not appear to have the ability to love. Real love seems impossible given his priorities to solely better himself, but if he is capable of some form of love, then I suppose it would be the above mentioned obsession and twisted hate-love of a brilliant mad man and leader.

Copyright of Bleach goes to Tite Kubo, not me.


	8. Auld Lang Syne

**A/N **Auld Lang Syne was a poem written by Scottish poet Robert Burns.In Scottish, "in the days of auld lang syne…" means "Once upon a time".

Happy New Year everyone! Happy 2013!

**Auld Lang Syne**

The ceremony for the end of the Winter War, after the defeat of Aizen, took place on New Year's Day – an unexpected, ironic emphasis to the phrase "Turn over a new leaf".

Although there was jubilation in Soul Society, there was also somberness during the ceremony, as relevant humans and shinigami paying tribute to the bravely fallen shinigami soldiers.

The ceremony had actually been pushed back because of Inoue Orihime's trial, and the wonderful, blessed verdict of "not guilty" was returned.

Despite the preparation for the event, there was an awkwardness pertaining to laying the dead to rest. Yamamoto soutaichou gave a grave speech of never forgetting the casualties and that each and every member of the Gotei 13 has a duty to prevent such a catastrophe from ever happening again.

One would have expected a soft requiem to play during the closing of the caskets and the final lighting of the pyres, but it was uncomfortably silent.

It was a detail which was unfortunately overlooked.

Standing beside Renji and Rukia, Ichigo was privy to their hushed mutterings. "This is bad. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"What kind of music are you expecting?" Ichigo gritted from the corner of his mouth, trying not to draw the disapproval or attention of any member of the Court Guards.

"_Appropriate _music, _baka! _What else?" Rukia hotly whispered back with a strained expression on her face.

Strangely**,** Kuchiki Byakuya was nowhere to be seen as he had disappeared a few minutes prior.

When his figure returned, Renji casted a questioning look at his captain. Byakuya paused, like a split second between maintaining his silence or speaking. He made a compromise when he tilted his head slightly to the side.

_Inoue?! _Ichigo was confused as to why his best friend was standing beside the first row of caskets.

Then, she suddenly looked up at Byakuya as though looking for a final confirmation or encouragement. Finding what she needed, she faced the front once more.

Then, she parted her lips.

"_Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,  
and never thought upon;  
The flames of Love extinguished,  
and fully past and gone:  
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,  
that loving Breast of thine;  
That thou canst never once reflect  
On Old long syne._

_For auld lang syne, my __dear__,  
for auld lang syne,  
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,  
for auld lang syne_."

The music soared as shinigami captains and vice captains filed past their lost brethren. Sadness and joy jostled within their hearts as death, pain and the optimism of new beginnings were felt all within one song.

Orihime's voice continued to soar among the grounds, carried by the winds.

"And there's a hand my trusty _friend_ !  
And _give us_ a hand o' thine !  
And we'll _take_ a right _good-will draught_,  
for auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my _dear_,  
for auld lang syne,  
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,  
for auld lang syne."

**A/N **It is the tradition in London and Scotland that after the twelve peals of the bells ushering in the New Year that the song 'Auld Lang Syne' is sung.

Well, the bells have rung. The Old Year has gone, and the New Year has been sung, cheered and merrily drank to to come in.

All the best to all of us this coming year of wonderful opportunities!

Checkmate


End file.
